Team Suzuki Press Office – September 28. After his recent run of no-scores, Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio is more determined than ever to secure good results at Magny-Cours in France this weekend at the 12th round of the World Superbike Championship.
The Italian finished third in the second race at the 2010 event and is hoping that he can repeat that performance this year aboard his GSX-R1000.
The 4.411 kilometre circuit features a mixture of fast and slow corners and, like most tracks, requires a good a bike set-up. ‘Adelaide’ hairpin is one of the slowest corners in the World Superbike calendar, with the bike going from over 280 kph down to 50 kph. With a little crest in the track just after the exit, the bike wants to wheelie and it’s difficult to keep the front wheel on the tarmac. Although the surface is generally pretty smooth, it gets slippery when it rains and good track knowledge is vital.
Michel Fabrizio:
“The last time I raced in Magny-Cours I finished on the podium, so it would be really good to do that again – especially after my recent poor results. Not finishing the last four races has not been good for me, nor the team, and I really need a couple of positive results this coming weekend.
“The frustrating thing is that I know that my race pace is good and so I should be finishing races and getting top-six results or better. Maybe I have been a bit too aggressive at the start of both the first races in the last two rounds, but that’s probably because I was not high enough up the grid and knew I had to make very good starts. It’s easy to get a bit carried away at the start of a race because so much is happening and I want to be a part of the lead group, not battling for 10th position.
“I need to get a better grid position in Superpole and then not have to charge so hard at the beginning of the races. But, as you know, Superpole has been a bit of a problem for me and I have not managed a front-row grid place all year so far: That in itself is frustrating and so once again I will try and do my best in Qualifying and Superpole and give myself a good chance come race day. Time is running out for some good results, so Magny-Cours would be a good place to start and that’s what I aim to do.”
2010 results:
Race 1: 1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha), 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Alstare Suzuki), 3 Carlos Checa (ESP-Ducati), 4 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 5 Jakub Smrz (CZE-Aprilia), 6 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati).
Race 2: 1 Biaggi, 2 Crutchlow, 3 Michel Fabrizio, 4 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Alstare Suzuki), 5 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Ducati), 6 Smrz.
